


Vod'ika

by universal_reno



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Fever, Fives is a good big brother, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24974437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universal_reno/pseuds/universal_reno
Summary: Fives spends the night caring for his little brother
Relationships: CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-5385 | Tup
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	Vod'ika

**Author's Note:**

> I love Tup. Poor little guy is so underrated. He gives Fives all the feels and I adore him for that ❤️

Fives snapped awake to violent shuddering. He sat bolt upright, expecting to find the ship under attack, but the baracks was dark and quiet. No alarms, just the soft sounds of his sleeping vode. And weak, pained groaning. 

He glanced over and discovered the source of both that and the shaking. The dim glow of the emergency lights by the door silhouetted a trembling body curled up on the edge of his bunk. Well that was different. No one had crawled into bed with him uninvited since Echo had... No, he wasn't going to think about that right now.

"Vod? Hey, you alright?" His voice was rough, throat dry. He laid a hand on his companion's shoulder and was startled by the heat he felt. Once he managed to blink the sleep out of his eyes he could make out the tangle of long, dark hair spilling down the figure's back. He brushed it aside and found the skin beneath coated in sweat.

"Tup'ika? What's wrong?" 

The younger clone rolled over with a soft whine. "Vod? I don't feel good." His voice sounded off, a bit slurred as though he was drunk or fighting to stay conscious. 

"I bet." Fives curled his legs under himself, slouching a bit in the limited space, and slipped his pillow under his little brother's head. "You're burning up, ad'ika. Is it your leg?" Tup had received a nasty shrapnel wound to the thigh during their last battle, but Fives couldn't imagine Kix would have allowed it to fester. Assuming Tup had been to see Kix, anyway. 

Tup shook his head. "Medics cleared me." He squeezed his eyes closed and shuddered, unable to hide his pained expression for a moment before he got himself back under control. A quiet cough that he couldn't quite suppress ended up muffled against his elbow. Worry clenched cold in Fives' chest. 

"Well they missed something." He smoothed back a few strands of hair that had plastered themselves to the side of Tup's face. His cheeks seemed to radiate even more heat than the rest of him.

Tup caught his hand and clung to it. Fives knew he wasn't all there at the moment, but he was nearly overwhelmed with fondness none the less. For reasons he couldn't quite parse he'd attached himself to Tup after Umbara. They were both the last of their respective batches, and Tup's presence filled up at least a little of the emptyness his brothers had left behind.

"Okay. It's alright" he soothed. He twisted back to grab the cantine he kept tucked between the mattress and the wall. "You think you can handle a little of this?" 

Tup's face scrunched up in confusion. "That's not Slack's hooch, is it?"

"Of course it's n-" Fives paused for a second and shook the cantine in thought. He did hoard booze when he could get it, even the homebrew that could strip paint. "No. No, Jaig stole that. Remember the day he puked on Nexu in the LA/AT?"

"Don't remind me" Tup clenched his jaw and paled a bit more, which was difficult. Except for the feverish flush coloring his cheeks he already looked as gray as a Kaminoan's ass. 

"Sorry." Fives stroked the back of his hand in apology. "You need the fresher?" He'd spent more than one night huddled on the cold tiles caring for a sick brother. If Tup was at that point he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

"I'm okay." The way his hand was trembling in Fives' grip felt anything but okay, but not being about to hurl on both of them was sufficient for the time being.

"Alright then. Have some of this" Fives unscrewed the lid of the cantine and pressed it to Tup's lips. "Go slow." 

At Tup's faint nod he tipped it enough for him to take a few small sips, but pulled it away when he started coughing again. He helped him sit up and wrapped a steadying arm around his waist. "Easy, vod'ika. Just breathe. You're going to be okay" he assured him.

Once the fit passed he guided Tup to lay down again and went back to stroking his cheek, then his hair. The younger clone pressed himself tight against Fives' side, still shivering. 

After a few minutes it was time to make a command decision. Tup appeared perfectly content to cling to him all night, sweating his brains out and occasionally making soft, pained little noises that went straight to Fives' heart. Fives himself was less satisfied with the situation. 

"We need to get you to the medics. You're way too warm." Cruz should be on duty now. He was no Kix, but he was still more than qualified to help with a fever.

Tup clung to him tighter in response. "I don't want to" he said quietly. "I want to stay here with you." 

Fives was suddenly reminded how very young he was. Just 18 standard... Tup was only a kid. A scared, traumatized, sick kid seeking comfort from his big brother. Fives cuddled him a bit tighter.

"They'll help you feel better, stubborn di'kut. There's not much I can do for that."

"I don't care. Please don't leave me. All the others left me. They took Dogma and..." Tup's breath hitched and he hid his face against Fives' shoulder. "Sorry, I'm being foolish" he mumbled.

"Oh ad'ika. No you aren't. You're sick is all. It happens to everyone." He kissed the top of Tup's head. The heat rolling off him was already starting to make Fives sweat, but the hint of tears in his voice had overwhelmed his resolve. There was no way he could force him to do anything when he looked so pitiful, even if it was for his own good.

He grabbed the cantine again and tipped some water out onto a corner of the sheet. It was a clumsy process with one arm trapped under his brother's shoulders and he ended up wearing a fair amount of it, but it was worth it to see Tup's look of relief when he gently rubbed the soaked fabric over his face and neck.

"There you go. Now get some rest" he urged once he was done. Tup was already growing heavy against his side as his body relaxed. "I'll be right here when you wake up." 

Tup nuzzled the side of his neck and pressed a soft, sleepy kiss there. "Thanks vod. I love you." The words were so quiet that Fives more felt them against his skin than heard them.

"I love you too, Tup'ika" he whispered. 

Fives stayed awake long after Tup drifted off. He carded his fingers through the long, silky waves of his hair until his trembling eased. Only then did he allow the stinging moisture that had been building in his eyes to spill over. He really did love Tup, and that terrified him. All the love Fives had ever experienced had ended in loss. It would be so easy for the precious life now curled up in his arms to be torn away as well. Fives pulled his little brother closer. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't. They would be together until the end, whenever it came.


End file.
